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News from Berlin

Warsaw Uprising Commemoration

August 04th, 2014
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News from Berlin- On August 1, 1944 the Polish Home Army launched its rebellion with the aim of liberating Warsaw from its German occupiers. 15,000 insurgents and 150,000 civilians lost their lives in 63 days of fighting. To quell any further attempts at rebellion Hitler ordered German forces to burn the city completely resulting in over 85% of the city being burnt down, including many important monuments and historic sites.  

To commemorate this manifestation of courage in the face of repression an exhibition will take place at a site in central Berlin, close to the location of the Berlin Wall. The exhibition was hailed by Bronislaw Komorowski, the Polish president, as marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Polish-German relations. Joachim Gauck, the current President of Germany said about the uprising “It is an incredibly important characteristic of the nation to be able to summon the fighting spirit in such a tragic situation, and fight, even though a victory seemed almost impossible”.

This event is especially important from the historical perspective, as it serves to build a bridge between former enemies.  The location of the exhibition also has a symbolic meaning – the exhibition will be shown at what was once a center of Nazi power in Berlin.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global